Meat flaker



United States Patent lnventor William Lasar Long Beach, California 90802Appl. No. 867,111 Filed Sept. 19, 1969 ljivis ion of Si". NBTmitii's,J55, 26,1962

andq sedh. a. a- Patented Sept. 29, 1970 122,123,125,181g214/(1nquired)Primary Examiner-Willie G. Abercrombie Attorney-Fulwider, Patton,Rieber, Lee and Utecht ABSTRACT: The meat flaker of present inventionincludes a cabinet supporting a rotary cutting drum and formed with anupwardly opening hopper. A loading tray is pivotally connected on oneend to the cabinet and has its free end coupled with a double acting aircylinder which raises and lowers such tray. A vertically travelingpressure plate is also connected with the free end of the loading traywhereby a block of meat may be placed on the tray, the cylinderactivated to raise the free end of such tray to feed the meat block intothe hopper and under the pressure plate, and the cylinder reversed tolower the pressure plate and press the meat block downwardly against thecutting drum while lowering the tray for receiving the next block ofmeat.

Patented Sept..29, 1970 "3,530,914

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I'NVENTOR. MAL/4M 4542 Patented Sept. 29, 1970 Sheet 2 ors CONVEVOE is;INVENITOR.

#710441 [4:42 QFM/Mfl Arroavif Patented Sept. 29,1970

Sheet v a W W J J F h VI Y v E s flilyqu||l|| v. m" q n u "u L w y T u wQ1 1 n 1 1 5 T q :0 J; n 9 H M I12 1 0 7 a a J o i W 9 4 1 J My? @w w ZW Ml e 0 w; W N 4 1 2mg I BY 7 ifie MEAT FLAKER CROSS REFERENCE TORELATED APPLICATIONS This applicationis a divisional application of myco-pending application Ser. No. 700,8l5, filed January 26, 1968, nowabandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The meat flaker ofpresent invention is characterized by a cabinet which mounts a cuttingdrum and is formed with a hopper for receipt of blocks of meat to be fedagainst such drum. A movable loading tray is carried by the cabinet anddrive means is provided for moving such tray between a lowerblock-receiving position to a raised block-loading position. A pressureplate is coupled with the tray for being moved clear of the hopper forreceipt therein of a block of meat when the tray is moved to itsblock-loading position and for being moved toward the cutting means whenthe tray is moved back to its block-receiving position to thereby forcethe block in said hopper against the cutting means.

An object of the present invention is to provide a meat flaker of thetype described which force feeds blocks of meat into the cutting means.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a meat flaker ofthe type described wherein the pressure plate is formed to block thehopper during feeding of the meat block into the cutter means torestrict access to the cutter means.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent fromconsideration of the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a meatflaker embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, in enlarged scale, of the meat flaker shown inFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a broken vertical sectional view, in enlarged scale, takenalong the lines 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view, in enlarged scale, taken along thelines 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a broken sectional view taken along the lines 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a broken vertical sectional view. in enlarged scale, takenalong the lines 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a broken vertical sectional view, in enlarged scale, takenalong the lines 7-7 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a broken horizontal sectional view taken along the lines 8-8of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 6, the meatflaker of present invention includes a hollow drum D which has aplurality of flake-receiving apertures 13 in its circumferential wall.Referring to FIG. 7, a plurality of blades 15 are mounted behind theapertures 13 forshearing flakes 17 from blocks of meat B. The flakes 17are received inside the drum D and are-pushed out the drum openings 21.The blocks of meat B are fed into the cutter drum D by means of aloading tray T which, when elevated, dumps the blocks B on top of thedrum D and when the tray T is lowered a pressure plate P is pressedagainst the top of the block B to push it firmly against the drum D.

Referring to FIG. 1, the meat flaker includes a cabinet C which forms anopen bottom overhang portion 27. Referring to FIG. 4, a meat chamber,generally designated 31, is mounted within the cabinet C and includes aninlet 33 and an outlet 35 formed by the open bottom of the overhangportion 27. The cutter drum Dis mounted in the cutter chamber 31 and theblades 15 are passed within a predetermined distance of a slicing bar 41affixed to one wall of the chamber 31. Referring to FIG. 6, the innerportion of the cutter chamber 31 includes a downwardly sloped bottomwall 45 which terminates in the outlet 35 of the cutter chamber.

As shown particularly in FIG. 4, a meat hopper H is formed above thecutter chamber 31 for receiving blocks of meat B to be fed into the drumD.

Referring to FIG. 6, the drum D includes a cylindrical wall 51 in whichthe apertures 13 are formed and has its right-hand end closed by a endplate 53. The left-hand end of the drum D is open and receives aremovable end plate 57 which fits snugly within the cylindrical wall 51.The blades 15 are disposed in depressions 58 formed adjacent theapertures 13 and are fastened to the drum D by counter-sunk screws 59screwed into inserts 60.

With continued reference to FIG. 6, a feed screw A is disposed in thedrum D for feeding the meat flakes longitudinally therein and out theoutlets 21.

A flange 61 is mounted in the right-hand wall of the cutter chamber 31and has a sleeve 63 journaled therethrough for connection with the endwall 53 of the drum D. The outer extremity of the sleeve 63 mounts arelatively large driven pulley 67 for effecting rotation of the drum D.A second sleeve 71 is journaled through the sleeve 63 and includes apair of openended notches on its inner extremity for receiving a pair ofkeys 75 formed on the shaft 76 of the feed screw A. A shaft 78 is fittedinto the outer extremity of the sleeve 71 and mounts a relatively smalldriven pulley 77 for effecting rotation of the feed screw A. The pulleys67 and 77 are driven by a motor M (FIG. 2) through a pair of endlessbelts 81 and 83, respectively.

With continued reference to FIG. 6, the cutter chamber 31 includes anaccess opening 87,which is surrounded by an aligning ring 88, whichconfronts the left-hand end of the drum D. Referring to FIG. 1, a hatchcover, or door, 89 normally covers the opening 87 and is locked in placeby means of a pair of hold-down latches 91 and 93. The cover 89 isstepped at 90 to form a circular projection 92 for being received withinthe locating ring 88. A bore is formed in the center of the I hatchcover 89 for receiving a bearing 93 into which is journaled the smallend of a bearing fitting 95. The portion 97 of the bearing fittingextending through the door 89 is slightly longer than the thickness ofthe door and is longitudinally slidable in the bearing 93, for a purposewhich'will appear hereinafter. The outer extremity of the fitting 95 isin the form of a stud 99 which receives a mounting nut 101, under whichlies a washer 102 tightened against a shoulder 103.

The fitting 95 is enlarged in diameter to form a shoulder 104 forabutting the inner surface of the door 89 and the enlarged portion 105is pressed into a bore 107 in the removable end plate 57. A bore 109extends in from the large end of the fitting 95 and a bearing 111 ispressed thereinto for receiving the end of the feed screw shaft 76.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the tray T includes a pair of oppositelydisposed side walls 113 and 115 and an end wall 117. The tray T ispivotally connected to a pair of angles 119 welded to the cabinet C bymeans o fa pair of 501E121. I

With continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, a guide, generally designated123, is mounted on the tray T and includes a pair of parallel slides I25and 127. The slides and 127 include turned-down extremities 129 and 131,the extremities 129 projecting through a slot 133 (FIG. 4) in the tray Tand being attached to a mounting bolt 135. The free ends of the slides125 and 127 are connected to the tray T by bolts 141 which projectslidably through bores 143 in the tray T. The lower ends of the bolts14] receive nuts 147 and a compression spring 149 is interposed betweenthe tray T and the' respective slides 125 and 127 to maintain the slidesbiased away from the tray T.

A pair of upwardly-projecting inwardly-facing tracks in the form ofchannels 155 and 157 are affixed to the top of the cabinet C and havetheir upper ends connected together by a rod 159. referring to FIG. 3,the pressure plate P is suspended from a pair of brackets 16] and 163which mount a pair of rollers 165 and 167 received in the channels 155and 157. The brackets 161 and 163 are connected together by a channelmember 171 and the plate P is suspended from the channel member by meansof a pair of A-shaped frames 175.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, a pair of links 181 and 183 are pivotallyconnected on one extremity to the mounting brackets 161 and 163 by bolts184 and on the opposite extremities the tray T by bolts 185. Thus, whenthe tray is raised to the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 4, thelinks 181 and 183 push the brackets 161 and 163 upwardly in the channels155 and 157 thus raising the pressure plate P. The tray T and pressureplate P are raised and lowered by means of an air cylinder 186 which ispivotally connected on its lower extremity to a mounting bracket 187 onthe cabinet C and on its upper extremity to a tray bracket 189.Referring to FIG. 1, a pneumatic system S is provided for actuating thecylinder 186 and includes a control handle 191 for raising and loweringthe tray T.

In operation, the motor M is started to effect rotation of the cutterdrum D and feed screw A. Since the pulley 77 driving the feed screw A issmaller than the pulley 67 driving the cutter drum D, the feed screwwill be driven at a faster rate of speed than the drum D. The blocks ofmeat B to be flaked are frequently frozen and it is desirable to flakethe meat before the blocks become thawed to avoid danger of qualitydeterioration. The blocks of meat B are placed on the tray T and thecontrol handle 191 pressed to raise the tray T, and concurrently raisethe pressure plate P, to the positions shown in broken lines in FIG. 4.The blocks of meat B will slide down the raised tray T and over theguide 123 weighting the slides 125 and 127 down and slightly compressingthe springs 149. As shown in FIG. 4, the slides 123 and 125 direct thefalling block of meat B to the side of the hopper H toward which thedrum D is turning and hold it there to avoid such block being movedaround in the hopper by the force of the turning drum D. The tray T isthen lowered for receiving another block of meat B and at the same timethe pressure plate P is brought down into contact with the top of theblock of meat in the hopper H and presses the meat firmly against thecutter drum D. Each of the cutters will shear off a flake of meat anddirect it inwardly through the apertures 13. The rotating feed screw Awill then push the flakes of meat longitudinally in the drum D and outthe openings 21 and they will be received on a conveyor disposed beneaththe cutter chamber outlet 35.

The distance which the cutting block 41 is spaced from the rotatingblades 17 determines the maximum thickness to which a flake ofmeat canbe cut.

While a block of meat is being flaked, another block of meat B will beplaced on the tray T and the tray raised to elevate the pressure plate Pand enable the second block of meat to be deposited on the block of meatbeing cut by the drum D. The tray T will again be lowered to bring thepressure plate P to bear on the second block of meat and flaking of thefirst block will be finished and flaking of the second will be started.it is of particular importance that the pressure plate P essentiallyblocks access to the hopper H and cutter drum D when it is in itslowered position thereby preventing individuals working in the area frominadvertently placing their hands against the cutter drum D.

When a flaking operation has been completed and it is desirable to cleanthe flaker, the hatch cover 89 and end plate 57 are removed by releasingthe latches 91 and 93. The feed screw A is then disengaged from thesleeve 71 and pulled free of the drum D. The feed screw A can then beplaced in a bath and cleaned of all meat scraps. While the feed screw Ais removed from the drum D, convenient access can be had to the interiorof the drum D to facilitate cleaning thereof. Since the cover 89 isslidable on the fitting portion 97, the area between the cover 89 anddrum cover 57 is accessible for cleaning.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the meat flakerof present invention is straightforward in design and sturdy inconstruction. The hollow cutter drum provides for rapid cutting andpositive removal of the cut flakes. The meat flaker is convenient tomanufacture and use, and can be thoroughly and easily cleaned.

Various modifications and changes may be made with regard to theforegoing detailed description without departing from the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A meat flaker comprising:

a cabinet formed with a cutting chamber and a meat hopper leadingthereto;

meat cutting means carried in said chamber;

a loading tray movable from a meat-receiving position to a meat-loadingposition;

mounting means mounting said tray on said cabinet;

a pressure plate for forcing said meat block into said cutting means;

coupling means for coupling said pressure plate with said loading trayfor backing said plate away from said cutting means when said loadingtray is moved to its meat loading position and for advancing saidpressure plate toward said cutting means when said tray is moved to itsmeat-receiving position; and

drive means for moving said loading tray between said meat-receivingposition and said meat-loading position whereby said tray may be movedto said meat-receiving position, a block of meat placed thereon, saidtray moved to its loading position to feed said block into said hopperand said tray moved back to its meat-receiving position to advance saidpressure plate toward said cutting means to force said block of meatinto said cutting means.

2. A meat flaker as set forth in claim 1 wherein said coupling meansincludes a track mounted on said cabinet and a follower connected tosaid pressure plate and engaged with said track.

3. A meat flaker as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said mounting means includes means for pivotally connecting one end ofsaid tray to said cabinet; and

said drive means includes a fluid cylinder connected with the free endof said loading tray.

4. A meat flaker as set forth in claim 1 wherein said drive means powerssaid loading tray between said loading position and said meat-receivingposition to power said pressure plate against a block of meat being fedinto said cutting means.

5. A meat flaker as set in claim 1 wherein:

said hopper is disposed above said cutting means and is open on its topend; and

said mounting means pivotally mounts one end of said tray to saidcabinet whereby the free end of said tray will be pivoted from a lowerposition at said meat-receiving position to an upper position at saidmeat-loading position.

6. A meat flaker as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said mounting means includes means for pivotally connecting one end ofsaid tray to said cabinet; and

said drive means includes a'fluid cylinder connected with the free endof said loading tray.

7. A meat flaker as set forth in claim 2 wherein said drive means powerssaid loading tray between said loading position and said meat-receivingposition to power said pressure plate against a block of meat being fedinto said cutting means.

8. A meat flaker as set forth in claim 3 wherein said coupling meansincludes a track mounted on said cabinet and a follower connected tosaid pressure plate and engaged with said track.

